Slow cooked pork cheek

Back to the realms of slow cooking this time with pork. It's not often I find pork cheeks in the butchers so when I do, I tend to buy whatever they have. Pork cheek lends itself well to long slow cooking at low temperatures as it is a tough piece of meat. The end results are fantastic with sous vide as you get a melt in your mouth tenderness. For those of you who have yet to embrace sous vide I've included a method of cooking it in the oven.

Slow cooked pork cheekYou need to start this the day beforeFor the marinade2 pork cheeks100ml red wine3 cloves garlic1 bay leafSprig rosemarySprig thymePlace all the above ingredients in a bowl and marinade overnight.To cook the pork Sous VideSet the sous vide to 80 degrees celsiusTo prepare the pork, coat in dripping or oil and seasonVacuum pack the pork Sous vide for 7 hoursTo cook the pork in the oven or BBQPlace the pork cheekswith the marinade ingredients and 100ml of chicken stock in a cast iron panPlace in the oven for 4 hours at 130 celsiusYou can now prepare the sauceRed wine reduction100ml red wine (you can use the wine from the marinade)50ml stock10g butter1/2 teaspoon tomato puréeHalf a carrot roughly slicedHalf a celery stick roughly slicedHalf an onion1 garlic clove bruisedFry off the veg till slightly coloured on the outsideAdd the red wine to a pan and reduce by halfAdd the tomato purée and stir throughAdd the stock and cook through for about 15 minsThe jus should coat the back of a spoonStrain the jus and place back into a panAdd the butter to thicken it slightlyIf the sauce is still runny you can thicken with cornflourSeason to tasteTo finish the porkRemove from the vacuum packing At this stage you can either sear it on a hot pan to colour the meat or char grill on a bbq ensure you dry the meat before doing soAllow the meat to rest before servingServe the pork with some creamy mash and your favourite veg